John Oliver on India's election

[Recursion]

This is really good.

Ways that India is different from the US:

1. My driver (yes, I have a driver here, don't hate) bought a TV after having told me earlier this year that TVs are bad because they distract you from prayers (he's a Hajji). When I joshed him about it, he said, "well, it's elections, so I need to know if there are riots and I have to leave town". (Side note: he actually likes TV in some ways, and is getting cable, because he loves watching the Discovery Channel for the science and TLC for the cooking shows. The science shows "show me how God made the world", and the cooking shows help him cook for his wife, who is blind and can't cook for him and feels very bad about that. Just adding this point to to my bit to dispel some stereotypes.)

Oy.

2. Today, I was going to make a "brief stop" at my local dive bar and grab "a" beer. But it's a "dry day", because it's a Hindu (actually, Marathi) national day. And when those days happen, if gangs get drunk, there are riots, and people like Kazim (my driver) have to run away from the city.

Oy

3. Anyways. Even if Gandhi scrapes a coalition out with the skin of his teeth, India is about to move much farther right than it's been in... well... 600 years or so. Just hope you guys are keeping informed.

[tecelote]

1. India has about 4x the population of the US...

and the US is about 3x the size (land mass).

The few people I know in India are excited about the election results. It's just hard for me to hear a move right as being a good idea. However, India has a whole different set of issues than we have.

[saidsimplesimon]

2. Recursion, thanks for the John Oliver link.

John was one of my favs while on The Daily Show. HBO is not on my cable menu.

This rising tide of nationalism in India speaks to a world trend. It's a nationalism based on intolerance, hatred of diversity, and religious insanity, imho.

[navarth]

3. Strangely enough, I hear that Salon has some bad reviews of the new show

I thought it was really good. WTF was Salon watching?

[negoldie]

4. Riots

Americans that don't travel abroad have no idea.
When I worked in Panama, we routinely listened to Armed Forces radio to avoid food riots in Panama City.
The teabaggers that constantly harp on tyranny and oppression should live in a truly oppressive country for a year......fear would ensue, I could see many of them committing suicide....